Aggie Trio Earns SEC Runner of the Week Honors

BIRMINGHAM – Texas A&M cross country had three athletes earn SEC Runner of the Week honors for their respective efforts during the 16-team Invitational the Aggies hosted on the Dale Watts course this past weekend.

Karis Jochen received the women’s Runner of the Week accolade after winning the Texas A&M Invitational with the fastest 6,000m time among conference runners this season. Austin Wells was selected as the men’s Runner of the Week after he produced the fastest time in the SEC over the 8,000m distance in finishing sixth in the Aggie home meet.

Newcomer Juan Uribe picked up the Freshman Runner of the Week honor as he recorded the fastest mark by a frosh in the conference this season over the 8k distance. The women’s Freshman Runner of the Week award was claimed by Alabama’s Rachael Reddy, who won the 6k race at the Cowboy Jamboree hosted by Oklahoma State.

In racing teams primarily from the NCAA South Central region, Jochen bettered the field of 147 with a time of 20:04.9. It was the fastest time over 6k for Jochen, who ran a best of 20:31.4 in the 2014 region meet. Jochen had built a 30m lead after reaching the halfway point of the race, but had to rally with a kick in the final 100m to secure the victory.

Wells made an impressive improvement to his 8k time in placing sixth amid a field of 154 runners in the A&M Invitational. In running 23:42.9 on the Watts course Wells lowered his best from a 25:31.0 set last season at Wisconsin. Three of the runners finishing ahead of Wells placed among the top eight in the 2014 South Central region meet.

Uribe finished third among the Aggie squad and was the third freshman finisher in the Texas A&M Invitational. A time of 24:24.7 placed Uribe 24thoverall as he produced the best 8k time by a freshman in the SEC this season.

Last year the top mark by a freshman in the conference at 8k was 24:23.09 set in mid-October by Alex George of Arkansas. In 2013 the best freshman time in the 8k was 24:29.09 set by current A&M junior Cameron Villarreal.

In the weekly South Central region rankings the Aggie men moved to the No. 4 position from its previous spot of No. 7 while the A&M women remained at No. 5.

This Friday the Aggies will compete in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on the Burke Memorial Golf Course with the women racing over 5,000 meters and the men covering a 5 mile course. The women’s Blue Division race starts at 1 p.m. (CT) and the men’s Blue Division race begins at 1:45 p.m. (CT).